1. Field of the Invention
Claimable inventions relate in general to an improved structure of an image recording apparatus.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In an image recording apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine or the like, there is provided a structure which prevents a sheet-feed roller from interfering with a sheet-supply cassette when the sheet-supply cassette is inserted into or removed from the apparatus. For instance, Patent Document 1 (JP-A-2002-249242, in particular FIGS. 3-8) and Patent Document 2 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,974 corresponding to JP-A-2002-321838, in particular FIGS. 4-9) disclose one example of such a structure. Namely, guide surfaces are respectively formed on upper surfaces of side plates of a sheet-supply cassette, which side plates are located outwardly of widthwise opposite ends of a stack of recording media (such as cut recording sheets) stacked on the sheet-supply cassette and extend along a feeding direction in which the recording sheets are fed. When the sheet-feed cassette is inserted into or removed from the apparatus, a pivotable member (an arm) which pivotably supports the sheet-feed roller or rollers comes into sliding contact, at its lower surface, with the guide surfaces formed as described above, whereby the pivotable member and the sheet-feed roller are retracted above the sheet-supply cassette.
In the meantime, there is conventionally known an image recording apparatus including a sheet-supply portion which supplies the recording sheets, an image recording unit which records an image on the recording sheets supplied from the sheet-supply portion, and a sheet-discharge portion which discharges the recording sheets fed from the image recording unit, so that a user get the recording sheets on which the image has been recorded.
For instance, Patent Document 3 (JP-A-6-9066, in particular FIG. 1) discloses the following technique: For enabling a sheet-supply tray provided in the sheet-supply portion to accommodate the recording sheets having mutually different length dimensions, an auxiliary tray is pivotably attached to an upstream end of the sheet-supply tray as seen in a sheet-supply direction in which the recording sheets are supplied, whereby a sheet-placing area of the sheet-supply tray for placing the recording sheets thereon is arranged to be extended. In the disclosed arrangement, there is formed, in the vicinity of an upstream end portion of the sheet-supply tray as seen in the sheet-supply direction, an accommodating portion in the form of a recess in which the auxiliary tray is accommodated when it is not used. Thus, the entire structure is made compact in size.
Further, Patent Document 4 (JP-A-10-167547, in particular FIG. 1) discloses the following technique: An auxiliary tray is pivotably attached to a sheet-discharge tray provided in the sheet-discharge portion, whereby a sheet-placing area of the sheet-discharge tray for placing, thereon, the recording sheets that have been subjected to recording operation is arranged to be extended. According to this technique, where the recording sheets which are long in a sheet-discharge direction are discharged, the auxiliary tray is placed at its extended position, whereby the discharged recording sheets can be supported, with high stability, by the sheet-discharge tray and the auxiliary tray. This Patent Document 4 also discloses a structure that the sheet-discharge portion is disposed above the sheet-supply portion and a sheet-feed path having a substantially U-turn shape is provided for feeding the recording sheets from the sheet-supply portion to the sheet-discharge portion.